5 things you can and can't do in Antarctica

Living in Antarctica is like "living in a freezer" because it's cold all around, but in return there are no insects like mosquitoes living there.

Scientists Julie and Austin Carter shared about daily life in Antarctica to help visitors better understand this land with harsh climate.
The pair are living at McMurdo Station, which was established in 1955. They will stay here for another two months to study ancient ice samples. "The ice here is over a million years old. We're really interested in studying past climates," Austin explains.

In a video shared on their personal page, the couple shared 5 things they can and cannot do when living in remote Antarctica.

What You Can and Can't Do in Antarctica — Video: *Tiktok/Austincarter642*

For starters, they can’t shower here because there’s no running water. For drinking water, the scientists boil the surrounding ice to get water. People can go outside when the weather is freezing, just wear a lot of clothes. The coldest temperature ever recorded at Vostok, which is also the lowest on Earth, was -89.2 degrees Celsius on July 21, 1983.

“We can’t see the sunset here,” Julie says. Because of the Earth’s tilt and being so far south, it’s summer in Antarctica, so the sun shines in the sky 24/7. “So it’s always bright,” Julie says.

They said it was nearly midnight when the video was filmed, but it was still as bright as noon in most other places on earth.

Where they live, "there's no wildlife to be seen." The scientists are far inland, while animals live along the coast. "Every now and then we see a bird. That's pretty cool," Austin said.

The last thing the two scientists wanted to share was that the outdoor space was like a freezer, which was very convenient for storing food. "There were no insects or predators around. We basically lived in a freezer," Julie said.

The video was posted on December 15. After three days, it has attracted nearly 2 million likes and more than 10,000 comments. "Living in Antarctica is really worth it if I never have to see a spider," one person commented after sharing the "insect-free" place where the two scientists live. "I would go crazy if I didn't shower for 50 days," another commented.

When asked about the conditions in Antarctica and whether the scientists had heat in their room, Austin replied: "Thanks for watching the video. We eat, sleep in tents and have stoves to keep us warm. But it's the people who make it warm."

Antarctica has long been a favorite destination for many adventurous travelers. According to the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO), the southernmost land in the world recorded a record number of visitors in 2022-2023 with 105,331 people. Visitors here spent an average of about $12,700 per trip. Experts predict that the number of visitors will continue to increase in the coming time.

Anh Minh (According to DM, CNN )

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